IndyCar Ticket Giveaways did not Work

Yes, it's hot at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The heat is sufficiently oppressive that it is radiating through my television screen.

Still, given the amount of promotion that was dedicated to this three-way championship battle, the crowd has to be considered something of a disappointment. As I have written before, it is clear that the IRL can't sell these guys.

The product - the whole product - is the problem. We know this because not enough people are buying it. A product that is not in demand is by definition flawed. This must change.

Let's hope for a safe and entertaining race.

Roggespierre

IndyCar: APEX Brasil Flexes its Fuel (and Moraes)

APEX Brasil is getting pretty generous with the free tickets to the IndyCar finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend. I already alerted readers here to the ticket giveaway in exchange for sampling free Brazilian foods at South Florida supermarkets.

Now, we learn that the first 50 customers that fill-up with E85 at Midway U-Gas in Miami will each receive two free tickets to the penultimate IndyCar race of 2009.

Is it possible that the three-way shootout among Dixon, Franchitti and Briscoe has not brought a crush of race fans to the ticket windows at Homestead-Miami? Terry Angstadt and Company can't sell these guys, so they've enlisted APEX Brasil to buy tickets and then give them away.

Strange Incentives

The E85 customers will get the fuel for $0.85 per gallon, courtesy of the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association, no doubt a member of APEX Brasil. That's a great deal even if the lucky fuel buyers don't use the tickets.

Cheap fuel is a sure crowd pleaser at any location in the United States. IndyCar driver and team financier Mario Moraes is not. Therefore, having Moraes sign autographs for those who seek cheap fill-ups is a shrewd move. The IRL will be able to tout the hundreds, perhaps thousands, who showed up to get Moraes's autograph.

Of course, few if any of those folks will be in the stands this weekend to watch Mario drive his car. But, thanks to APEX Brasil's ticket purchases, that's not a problem. Everybody gets paid, anyway!

This is how you prop up* a product that consumers have rejected. Why are the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Board and IRL management allowing this to happen to the series that races at the Indianapolis 500?

Roggespierre

*Originally, this line read, "This is how you prop up a lie, a product that...." BC argued that my choice of words was inappropriate. Reading it again, I agree. IndyCar racing is not a lie. It is a product that has been rejected. The latter wording suffices and is not needlessly inflammatory. Thanks to BC for rightly suggesting that I rethink my original language.

Danica Demonstrates IndyCar PR Problem

Danica Patrick shed absolutely zero light on her future career path at Homestead-Miami Speedway Wednesday. Unfortunately, that is apparently all that reporters wanted to talk about following the Q&A session.

Here is a telling quote from the Associated Press story.

"Patrick was at Homestead-Miami Speedway with several other drivers Wednesday to test for the IndyCar finale Oct. 10."

Who were those "other drivers?" Apparently, this is not important information. I don't blame Tim Reynolds, the AP writer. His job is to generate stories that U.S. motorsports consumers might actually want to read. They are interested in Danica. They are not interested in the rest of IndyCar's failed "stars".

This must be frustrating as hell for the IRL public relations folks.


Myth of More Promotion

Allow me to confess that I like IRL PR chief John Griffin. I admit that I do not know him very well. But I have been duly impressed in my limited dealings with him. Frankly, I also have some sympathy for the man.

His job is to sell a collection of international drivers to U.S. racing consumers who have demonstrated that they are not interested. The IRL's Big Cheese has effectively blamed Griffin and his charges for IndyCar's comprehensive market failure. Never mind that Terry Angstadt refuses to manage his product.

"Marketing" is thought to be synonymous with "promotion" at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Therefore, it's up to PR to create consumer demand where none exists. Good luck with that, John.


Marketing 101

First-year undergraduate business students know that marketing begins with the Four Ps.

1. Product
2. Price
3. Place
4. Promotion

Let's quickly assess the Four Ps of the IndyCar Series.

1) The product is not designed for the purpose of attracting consumers.

2) IndyCar is overpriced at every point on the supply chain.

3) The product is offered in places where government subsidies can be procured rather than where consumer demand might be cultivated.

4) Obviously, the problem is lack of promotion!

Why does anyone still believe this garbage?


Cause without Effect

You aren't going to do much better with regard to promotion than having a Dancing with the Stars winner and an SI Swimsuit model in your starting field. Helio and Danica finished 1st and 3rd, respectively, at the 2009 Indianapolis 500. Yet the Greatest Spectacle in Racing produced its worst national television rating in recent memory.

Believe it or not, the IRL has typically overachieved with regards to its public relations hires. Most have been experienced, talented professionals who tried hard, became frustrated, and then escaped to jobs where they might promote something that consumers actually want.

Management competence has been elusive in the other IRL executive offices. Unfortunately, it is there that Product, Price and Place are determined.

Roggespierre